The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Wednesday directed the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation’s anti encroachment cell to remove encroachments from Aligarh Muslim University Old boys Cooperative Housing Society and submit the report by May 4, 2016.
The SHC bench, headed by Chief Justice Sajjad Ali Shah, was hearing the plea filed by Raza Muhammad and others seeking removal of encroachments from the society. The court directed the KMC’s anti-encroachment cell to get the land of the society from the encroachers vacated and report the court by 5th of May.
According to the petitioners, the society started getting encroached in 2005 as six blocks were grabbed. The authorities had managed to vacate two blocks from the clutches of grabbers; however, four blocks were still in the possession of land mafia, they said.
They said that the court in February 2014 had directed the provincial and local authorities and law enforcers to remove the encroachments from remaining blocks of the society but its directive had not been complied with yet.
The petitioners filed a contempt application against the KMC’s anti-encroachment cell director, land utilisation department and other authorities concerned for failing to comply with the court’s directives. In the last hearing, the court had directed them to comply with its order otherwise be ready to face contempt proceedings.
The Aligarh Muslim University Old Boys Cooperative Housing Society is one of the oldest housing society of the city that spreads over six blocks measuring 233 acres.